Toyota recalls 2.4 million hybrid cars for stalling problem

Toyota said on Friday that it is recalling 2.4 million Hybrid gas-electric cars most of which are Prius models to fix the electronic defect that causes suddenly lose power and could increase the risk of a crash.

The Toyota recall affects 807,000 vehicles in the U.S. and 1.25 million in Japan, including some models of the Auris, a lesser-selling hybrid. Toyota announced the recall in Tokyo, saying it had received three reports in Japan from owners about the stalling.

Toyota Japan will inspect and fix all the recalled vehicles at its dealerships under warranty and at NO cost to owners obviously in Japan and everywhere else.

The issue is with a wire harness which can come in contact with an engine cover and eventually can damage the harness because of vibrations and can cause electric short circuit or even a fire.

The recall in the U.S. includes various Prius models that were built from 2010 to 2014, the same cars that were recalled earlier and fixed with a software update that lawsuits allege was not effective in preventing power losses.

Hundreds of Prius owners have filed complaints with dealers, the government and the news media. The Times first disclosed the problem in a series of stories earlier this year.

Is it not the first time Toyota recalling vehicles due to the technical glitch, several owners have reported the issues in the United States alone.

In a notice issued to U.S. dealers on Friday, a copy of which was obtained by The Times, Toyota said the electronic defect could cause a sudden loss of power that would “increase the risk of a crash.” It was the first time the company has acknowledged that the earlier recall still left owners unsafe.

Toyota said it is developing a remedy, which will be another software update.

Please go through the chassis numbers and see if your vehicle is in the recall list. I have attached the image of the problem area as released by Toyota Japan. All recalled vehicles share the same engine and Hybrid components, the problem location would be identical approximately.